Tire-securing device.



PATENTED'MAY 10, I904.

M. HEATH. TIRE smunme mzvmn.v APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, 1903.

H0 MODEL.

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' WITNESSES. v

Patented May 10, 1904.

PATENT OF ICE.

- MARK A-IHEATH, OFPROVIDENGE, RHODE ISLAND.

TIRE-SECURING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 759,438, dated May 10,1904..

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it-known that I, MARK A. HEATH, a citizen of the United States .ofAmerica, and a resident of Providence,- in the county of Providence andState of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsin Tire- Securing Devic'es,-of whichthe following is aspecification.

" interposed between said rim and the other series of strips, and boltspassing radially through the several metal members arranged whereby upontightening the'bolts the springs and tire are drawn inwardly ordownwardly into the grooved portion of the rim, the adjacent concave orbeveled sides of the-latter at the same time serving to materiallycontract or compress the springs and tire trans versely, therebyadjustably securing the tire to the wheel-rim, all as will be more fullyhereinafter'set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse sectional Viewshowing the device combined with the tire and wheel-rim,

the parts being in position preparatory to contra'cting the springs andtire into'the peripheral groove of the rim. Fig. 2 is a similar Viewshowing the device in the normal operative position. Fig. 3 is a partiallongitudinal section taken on line m a: of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4c is a sideView, in reduced scale, of my'improved tire-securing device, aportionoi" the wheel being represented.

The following is a more detailed description of my improvedtire-securing device and the manner of its operation: The wheel-rim a,which may be integral, is or may be made of steel or other suitablematerial and provided with a peripheral groove or recess a. The form ofsaid groove cross-sec'tionaily may be practically semicircular andhaving flaring or beveled sides a a its circumference the rim is adaptedto receive material.

At intervals around Application filed June 10,1903. Seria1No.160,843.(N0 model.)

suitable bolts (2 (later describcd) and spokes 8,.

the latter being secured to the rim in an, well-known or suitablemanner.

t designates the tire member. made of rubber or other elastic andresilient The tire may be a one-piece ring or hoop, its formcross-sectionally preferably being round andhaving a small central hole2t, althgugh the latter may be omitted, if deslre It may be Z) and cdesignate two series or sets of ourvilinear strips of thin resilientstock, as steel,

bent to conform to theshape of the tire. I prefer to make these springmembers or strips comparatively short peripherally, each section orpiece being, say, six to eight inches long, the members of one seriesbeing ar ranged to break joints or overlap those of the other. (See Fig.4.) The inner strips b are bent to receive the tire. The upper or'outeredges extend to or nearly to the center and may be'further bent inwardlyto a slight extent, as at b, so as to be embedded into the tire whensufficient pressure is exerted upon the parts. The outer strips 0 form ayielding seat for the inncrseries b. The sides, however, extend somewhatabove or beyond those of the latter, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

The springs b c are provided circumferentially at intervals withelongated holes 6 0 respectively, as indicatedin Fig. 3, to receive thesecuring-bolts (Z. These latter have each a suitable head d and nut n.

The manner of assembling, applying, and

securing the tire, and as embodied in my present invention, is asfollows: The sections of the two series of spring-strips b and .0 aresuccessively placed in position around the in ner circumference of thetire t, at the same time inserting the bolts d, the resiliency of thestrips causing the sides thereof to bear with sufficient force againstthe tire to prevent them from being accidentally detached. The tireaudits strips are next sufiiciently expanded to pass over the edge ofthe rim a, the

springs at the same time sliding endwise upon each other, while theslotted bolt-holes Z2 0 permit the bolts to maintain their normalrelation. are inserted-in the holes formed therefor in The inner or freeends of the bolts the rim, after which the natural reaction orcontraction of the tire causes the parts to bear against theflaringsides a of the rim, followed by attaching the nuts a, the whole.

then appearing substantially as represented v in Fig. 1. Now in ordertofirmly secure the tire, &c., in the normal working position andrelationthe several bolts (Z are by means of the nuts a drawndownwardly, thereby caus-. ing the oppositely-disposedyielding sides ofthe strips Z2 and 0 bearing against the beveled unyielding sides 0, ofthe rim to bend or spring toward each other, the result being togradually compress the tire from its original or round. formcross-sectionally to an oval one.

It is obvious that in accomplishing this result the sides of the springsare forced snugly against the sides of the tire and become more or lessembedded therein. It will be seen, too, that the recess or groove (0 ofthe rim will then be nearly or quite filled by the spring and tiremembers, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4; represents a corresponding side View of the rim and tireportions of a wheel embodying the invention. I prefer to have theseveral strips or springsections separated from one another endwise orlongitudinally, as indi-cated at m.

Ido notclaim, broadly, a resilicnt'wheel-tire capable of being held inposition in the grooved Wheel-rim by means of spring-strips or yieldingclamps secured to said rim.

I claim as my invention 1. In a vehicle-wheel provided with apcripherally-grooved rim having flaring sides, a rubber tire, bent clipsor inner spring-strips 6 arranged around the rim and in engagement withthe tire, a series of peripherally-arranged outer clips 0 interposedbetween said inner clips and the rim, and securing-bolts passing throughboth series of clips and rim, sdostantially as described and for thepurpose set forth.

2. The combination with a rubber tire and a peripherally-grooved rim (0having beveled or flaring sides, of inner clamping-strips b conformingto the shape of the tire, outer spring or clamping strips 0 interposedbetween said rim and strip members, at, and extending radially beyondthe edgesof the strips Z), and securing means passing through theclamping members and rim, whereby the tire may be drawn downwardly intothe grooved portion of the rim, substantially as described.

Signed at Providence, Rhode Island, this 8th day of June, 1903.

' MARK A, HEATH. Witnesses:

GEO. H. REMINGTON, WILLIAM A. SULLIVAN.

